Lost in Spanish translation: ‘Obamacare’ ‘exchanges’ now ‘marketplaces’

The Obama administration recently announced that the mandatory health care exchanges by states as part of the the Affordable Care Act will officially be referred to as “online marketplaces.” What wasn’t clarified at the time was the reasoning behind the rhetorical shift. Now, voters know: Cultural sensitivity.

The Hill reports that the adoption of the term “marketplaces” was made because of how the word translates into Spanish. Anton Gunn, director of External Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, verified the claim.

“We’re going to use the word ‘marketplace’ because it actually makes sense to people,” Mr. Gunn said at a conference in Washington, D.C. ” ‘Exchange’ doesn’t translate to anything in Spanish, but ‘marketplace’ does. … These are the people we need to reach.”